The Farrow Riverside Miracle Park is getting some upgrades thanks to a Canadian Tire Jumpstart grant.
The City of Windsor and Riverside Minor Baseball Association applied for the grant in February to help fund additional inclusive elements at the park.
“Partnerships, like the kind offered by Jumpstart and the Riverside Minor Baseball Association help to bring the community together to re-imagine our recreation spaces for the next generation of children and youth. For parents in Riverside, Miracle Park is providing safe and accessible play structures with new sporting facilities to become available in early 2021,” said Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens.
The grant of $354,000 will help pay for a new rubber surface on the baseball diamond, a multi-use track around the park, three accessible baseball-themed workout stations, accessible dugouts, and accessible picnic tables. The grant will also cover three years of membership fees for the Miracle League Association.
"The creation of the park and sports field will be transformational and not just for the kids involved. We are changing the fabric of the community. We will be learning to see these players as kids with different abilities. It is an education for the entire community and then a lot of fun for the kids. The Jumpstart Grant will also allow us to concentrate our fundraising efforts to support our financial commitment to the other elements in the Farrow Riverside Miracle Park and the operation of the Miracle League of Riverside Baseball,” said Co-Chair’s Rick Farrow and Bill Kell.
The Riverside Minor Baseball Association has already raised over $2-million for the park. It has committed to raising an additional $200,000 for the project.
This spring, the City of Windsor remodelled existing on-site washroom facilities to make them fully accessible for the players on the field.
The park will celebrate its grand opening in spring 2021.